Playground device



Dec. 25, 1956 M. J. LIBRA 2,775,452

PLAYGROUND DEVICE Filed Jan. 5, 1953 IN VEN TOR. MAR) LIB/M ATTOR/VE/J a central post showing a United. States Patent 2,775,452 PLAYGROUND DEVICE Mary J. Libra, San Francisco, Calif. Application January 5, 1953, Serial No. 329,499 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-1) This invention relates to a playground device for use by children and has for one of its objects the provision of a device that includes an air inflatable rubber like tube of such dimensions that children of say from about four to ten years of age may be seated on the inflated tube astride the same and bounce their way around the tube, without danger to themselves, and which device includes means adapted to secure it to a stationary vertical post against substantial shifting laterally relative to such post.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such annular air inflatable tube with means for engagement by the feet of children astride the same and bouncing their way around the tube when the latter is inflated.

A still further object is the provision of a horizontal air inflatable tube of a diameter at any point therearound that is suificiently great to support children seated on the tube and astride the latter at points at opposite sides of the tube with their feet on the ground so they can bounce their way around the tube by springing their legs at their knees, and without danger to themselves or to the tube.

It is well known that children demand a great deal of exercise and that they particularly enjoy bouncing up and down on any soft support. This latter tendency leads to bruises and even worse injuries where the children are apt to fall on or against each other and it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a means to gratify this desire to jump and to bounce themselves, but with safety and which means enables a plurality of children such as four or more to play on one device at the same time and to control their movements so they will not be hurt, and at the same time the device is so a designed as to enable the children to bring into action more different muscles than with most conventional playground equipment.

Other objects and advantages will be seen in the description and in the drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a device showing two children seated on said device.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. l but without the children.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the top of feature added to the central post of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top plan Fig. 3.

In detail, the present device comprises an annular tube 1 of rubber or rubber-like material, such as some of the rubber substitutes, and which tube is provided with a flexible inlet tube 2 through which the tube 1 may be inflated. Thus inlet tube 2 may have a conventional check valve thereon or said inlet tube may be merely view of the feature shown in v folded on itself and secured so folded by a rubber band,

tape or the like, as desired.

The tube 1 is secured on its side to a mat 3, and mat 3 may be made of any suitable material, such as rubber,

"ice

plastic, etc. Where of rubber or plastic composition material the tube 1 and mat may be cemented, vulcanized or otherwise secured together.

Preferably the mat 3 is annular having a central circular opening 4. The tube 1 is positioned concentric with said mat and the width of said mat is such that it will project oppositely from the tube at any point around the latter to provide a foot support for children 5 (Fig. 1) when the tube is inflated and such children are astride the same. The inlet tube 2 is so positioned as to be on the inside of the annular tube and on the underside so as to be out of the way of the feet of the children, thus preventing injury to the inlet tube and also preventing injury to the children should the inlet tube be relatively rigid or provided with a metal cap.

The central inner hole 4 not only provides a means to facilitate carrying the device from one place to an other, but it is also adapted to receive a vertical post 6, which post may be secured in any suitable manner to the floor of a room, or imbedded in the ground at its lower end or set in concrete. In any event the post is preferably rigid or stationary with a floor or the ground, and when it extends through the central opening 4 it not only holds the mat 3 and tube 1 againstany substantial lateral shifting, but it is sufficiently tall to provide a hand support for one hand of the child as seen in Fig. 1.

If desired, a rotary member 8 (Fig. 3) may be mounted on the'upper end of post 6, which member has hand gripping elements 9, such as rings, connected with the member 6 by links of chain 10. These hand grips may be gripped by a child to help support it.

The inside diameter of the tube across its center may be from about eighteen to about twenty-eight inches and the diameter of the tube at any point therearound, when inflated, may be from about fifteen to about twenty-four inches. The principal consideration being that the tube must have suificient diameter at any point therearound to enable children of from say about four to nine or ten years of age to vigorously bounce up and down on the tube without hurting themselves and without danger of breaking the tube. Also there must be room between the post and the tube for the feet and legs of the children.

In actual practice the children sit astride the tube with their feet on the mat, or in some instances the that need not extend so far out as to provide a support for the foot of the child that is at the outer side of the tube. Preferably the mat gives support for both feet. ameter of the inflated tube is such that the child is supported well off the ground, and there is ample air and diameter to provide a substantial-cushion of air between the child and the ground no matter how vigorously he or she bounces on the tube.

By bouncing themselves on the tube (as by springing with their legs together with the resiliency of the air) the children will work their way around the tube, and the tube will support four or more children at the same time.

The support afforded by the post 6 stabilizes the children as they bounce up and down with one hand against the post, and, of course, the post holds the mat and tube against objectionable shifting laterally.

While the tube is shown as being cylindrical, it need not necessarily be of this cross sectional contour. How- The di- Such mats may be placed indoors when it rains and are equally adapted for outdoor use.

I claim:

1. A playground device of the character described comprising: a horizontally disposed air inflatable annular tube of flexible, relativelysoft rubber-like material having smooth upper and lateral surfaces free from obstruction to sliding therearound of a child seated astride said tube at a side thereof relative to its central axis, said tube being about fifteen to about twenty-four inches in diameter at any such side when said tube is inflated whereby a child so seated at a side thereof may reach the ground at opposite sides of such tube with its feet for bouncing its way around said tube by springing its legs when its feet are on the ground, and saidtube having van inside diameter from one side. to the other of from aboutv eighteen inches to about twenty-eight inches so that children around said tube and seated astride the latter may easily reach with substantially equal facility a support adapted to be positioned on the central axis of said tube at about the head level of such seated child during its bouncing around said tube, an annular horizontal mat of sheet material coaxial with said tube and secured to its underside, said mat extending beyond the radially inner and outer sides of said tube a sufficient distance to provide a pathway for the both feet of said child during its bouncing around said tube.

2. A playground device of the character described comprising: a horizontally disposed, air inflatable annular tube of flexible, relatively soft, rubber-like material, said tube, when inflated and on the ground having smooth upper and lateral surfaces whereby a child seated thereon astride the tube at one side of its central axis may reach the ground. with its feet for bounding its way around said tube by springing its legs, said tube, when so inflated, being about fifteen to about twenty-four inches in diameter at any side of said axis and having an inside diameter from one side of the tube to the other across said axis of from about eighteen to about twentyeight inches so that children around said tube and seated astride the latter may easily reach with one of their hands and with substantially equal facility a central, stationary, vertical post on the axis of said tube extending to at least about shoulder level of such seated children, means for securing said tube against substantial shifting laterally relative to a central point coaxial with said tube including a horizontal, planar, annular mat secured against the lower side of said tube coaxial therewith, said mat extending outwardly of said tube to both sides thereof at any point at one side of its axis a suflicient distance to provide a support on said ground for both feet of each child astride said tube, said means further including a stationary vertical post extending through the central opening of said mat and extending above the upper level of said tube to substantially at least the shoulder height of a child seated on said tube astride the latter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 456,621 Kopcke July 28, 1891 755,747 Coile Mar. 29, 1904 762,959 Tothill June 2, 1904 2,399,494 Manson et al Apr. 30, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 623,044 Great Britain 1949 625,129 Great Britain 1949 OTHER REFERENCES Playthings, page 5, issue of March 1951, page 32, issue of January 195 1, and page 57, issue of June 1951. Published by McCready Publishing Co., New York, N. Y. 

